Ingredients

• 120ml (½ cup) water
• 50g (¼ cup) diced Copha
• 100g (¾ cup) plain flour
• 4 eggs
• 200g milk cooking chocolate, chopped (can also substitute with dark cooking chocolate)
• ¼ cup pouring cream
• 100g white chocolate, chopped (not compound)

Vanilla custard filling

• 250ml (1 cup) thickened cream
• 250ml (1 cup) milk
• 80ml (1/3 cup) Kahlua
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 6 egg yolks
• 60g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
• 4 tbsp cornflour
• ¼ cup pouring cream

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220°C/420°F (fan forced 200°C/390°F). Lightly grease and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
2. Combine water and Copha in a medium-sized saucepan; bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, add flour and stir to combine, stirring continuously for 3 to 5 minutes until mixture leaves sides of the pan and forms a mass.
3. Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes. Using an electric mixer add eggs in one at a time, beating well between each addition on medium speed. The mix should be stiff and glossy and hold up on the tip of a spoon.
4. Using a tablespoon, spoon 18 walnut sized balls on the tray spacing 6cm apart. Alternatively, you can also spoon mix into a piping bag fitted with a 1 ½ cm nozzle and use that for piping pastry onto tray. Bake for 10 minutes, rotate trays, and reduce heat to 200°C/180° C.
5. Continue baking puffs for a further 10 minutes, until golden brown and springy to the touch. Set aside on the tray for 5-10 minutes. Then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Vanilla custard filling

1. Combine cream, milk, Kahlua and vanilla bean paste in a saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat. Remove from stove.
2. Whisk together egg yolks, caster sugar and cornflour together in a bowl. Slowly add cream, whisking continuously until thoroughly combined.
3. Pour mix back into the saucepan and return to a low heat. Stir continuously until the custard thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Remove from heat, set aside to cool. Cover with cling film and put in the fridge until ready to use.

Assembly

• Put vanilla custard in a piping bag fitted with a 5mm nozzle.
• Make a small hole in the bottom of the cream puff with a sharp knife and pipe vanilla custard in.
• Melt the milk cooking chocolate and add in pouring cream in batches. Mix thoroughly till smooth.
• Spoon chocolate mix over profiterole.
• Melt white chocolate and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Then pour this chocolate into a zip-lock bag and cut a small hole one of the corners. Pipe a cross over each cream puff for decoration.
• Allow chocolate to set before serving.

Tip: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.